Japan nuclear crisis hits close to home for Brunswick Nuclear Plant neighbors

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — With all eyes on Japan’s nuclear plant and how the country is being affected by the situation, folks in Brunswick County say the meltdown is hitting too close to home because of the Progress Energy’s Brunswick Nuclear Plant in Southport.

Residents of southern Brunswick County say they have mixed feelings about the nearby nuclear plant, and with the current situation in Japan, it really has them thinking.

Folks who live in the 10-mile emergency planning zone around the Brunswick Nuclear Plant say they understand the need for the plant, but that does not mean they are not worried about the consequences of living so close to the facility.

Brunswick County Emergency Management says residents are in good hands and their resources work constantly to make sure a comprehensive plan is in place if a problem were to arise.

“I think we stand to learn a great deal from the events in Japan in terms of how the public reacts and how the public responds,” Brunswick County Emergency Management Director Anthony Marzano. “Most of what we practice in our FEMA drills makes a response to a theoretical worst case scenario. Here we’re actually looking at a worst case scenario, so seeing how the plans on paper play out in real life, there will be lessons to learn.”